A gyroscope is firmly held against the back side of the human hand to reduce or eliminate the effect of naturally occurring tremors such as essential tremor or other tremor. The gyroscope is driven by an electric motor energized by batteries. The batteries are mounted near the periphery of the gyroscope to enhance the gyroscopic action. In a modified form of the invention the motor is not mounted on the back side of the hand but is a separate unit to which the gyroscope can be readily coupled and uncoupled.
A portable system for quantifying neurological function is described. The system comprises a gyroscope, power supply and signal analyzer. In one embodiment, the system includes a programmable computer, signal and power conditioning, signal analysis, memory and display capability. The angular rate sensed by the gyroscope is an output as a function of time and frequency. The power spectral density, Q, angular displacement, peak magnitudes and associated frequencies are obtained.
A tunable and adjustable device for stabilizing tremors includes a rigid splint for receiving a patient's hand, wrist and forearm, and at least one gyroscope removably and rigidly attachable to said splint and positionable for countereffecting the tremors. Also, a method for tuning and adjusting the device is provided which includes assessing the dynamic characteristics of the patient's tremors, assessing at least one activity the patient intends to perform with his/her hand, wrist, and arm which is subject to tremors, attaching the splint to the patient's hand, wrist, and arm that he/she intends to use for the at least one activity, and attaching and positioning the at least one gyroscope to the splint at least one location which countereffects the patient's tremors.
A light weight, wearable, and balanced active tremor control system including a mount; a proof mass frame moveable with respect to the mount; at least one actuator on the proof mass frame for imparting a force on the mount; a motion sensor for detecting movement of the mount due to tremors; and a controller for driving the actuator in response to the motion sensor.
The present invention is a method and device for reducing trembling of a limb of a human subject. The method comprises suspending a mass from the limb via a suspension configuration. The suspension configuration having an effective spring constant and/or a non-zero coefficient of damping in at least one direction such that the mass is driven to oscillate in the at least one direction out of phase relative to the trembling motion. A further embodiment includes a motion sensor to sense the motion of the limb, an actuator to generate the damping force, and a control unit that is responsive to the motion sensor and actuator to generate a damping force that alleviates trembling.
A precessional device featuring a pair of axles each containing at least one flywheel forming a pair of rotors. The pair of axles are each mounted on circular track assemblies in which they rotate and generate a precessional torque that provides variable resistance along a first axis and a balancing of the precessional torque along a second axis.
